Free activities and events in New York City

Lecture “Force Sensing Shapes Physiology and Behavior From Within”

Published: March 7, 2026; Aithor: Julia Sonrisa

Registration for this lecture will close at 2 p.m. the day of the event. Review the complete list of entrance requirements below.

This lecture is part of the Brain and Body: Communication and Connection Presidential Lecture Series in Neuroscience and Autism Science

Many organs are in continual motion as they stretch and squeeze to perform critical functions such as feeding, digestion, breathing, and excretion. These movements are actively detected by the sensory nervous system to control physiological reflexes and integrated by the brain to shape physiology and behavior.

In this Presidential Lecture, Kara Marshall will explore how the nervous system detects and integrates internal mechanosensation. The Marshall lab uses the key mechanosensory PIEZO ion channels as genetic handles to probe how mechanosensation contributes to the physiology of the urinary and gastrointestinal tract. In addition to understanding basic mechanisms of mechanosensation, this work explores how aging and disease alter mechanosensory processes and contribute to dysfunction and discomfort. Ultimately, understanding mechanical interoceptive processes has enabled deeper insight into how the brain integrates sensory information to control fundamental behaviors.

Marshall earned a Ph.D. in cellular, molecular, and biomedical sciences from Columbia University and did postdoctoral work at Scripps Research Institute in the Patapoutian Lab. In 2022, Marshall established her lab to study internal mechanosensation as an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Baylor College of Medicine and the Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital with support from the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation as a McNair Scholar. She is a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Registration Requirements

• You must be 18+ to attend this event
• Registration will close at 2:00 p.m. the day of the event
• Please only register yourself and use your complete first and last name as it appears on your photo ID when filling in the form.
• Tickets under the same name do not count as registrations for others, and each ticket must be registered under an individual attendee’s name. If you have a guest you would like to bring with you to this event, please send them the link to register so they can sign up on their own.
• Please note that the Simons Foundation will never ask for credit card information or require payment for registration to our free public events.

Building Entry Protocol

• Provide a valid photo ID
• Present your digital or printed Eventbrite ticket confirmation; make sure it is for the correct event and that the name on it matches your ID.
• Limited seating is available for this in-person event and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• All attendees must be pre-registered. Walk-in entry will be denied.

Please note that by entering the Simons Foundation, you are attesting that you are not experiencing COVID symptoms and are not knowingly positive for COVID.

Schedule

Doors open: 5:30 p.m. (No entrance before 5:30 p.m.)

Lecture: 6:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m. (Admittance closes at 6:20 p.m.)

The Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and offers accessible seating to visitors with special access needs.

Presidential Lectures are free public colloquia at the Simons Foundation centered on four main themes: Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Neuroscience and Autism Science. These curated, high-level scientific talks feature leading scientists and mathematicians and are intended to foster discourse and drive discovery among the broader NYC-area research community. We invite anyone interested in the topic to join us for this weekly lecture series.

Free!

Registration

Detailed information and discussion of the event.